Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Australia on course for lowest one-day rise in COVID-19 cases in more than three weeks

Australia was poised to post its lowest one-day rise in new COVID-19 cases in more than three weeks on Thursday, stoking hopes that a second wave of new infections gripping Victoria state is finally being brought under control. Australia, once heralded as a global leader in combating COVID-19, has struggled to contain an outbreak in the country’s second most populous state, which has seen triple digit daily new cases for weeks. Germany’s confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 1,445 to 219,964: RKI

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 1,445 to 219,964, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Thursday. The reported death toll rose by 4 to 9,211, the tally showed. Russia says medics to get anti-COVID shots in two weeks, some Russians wary

Russia said on Wednesday the first batch of the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine would be rolled out within two weeks and rejected as “groundless” safety concerns aired by some experts over Moscow’s rapid approval of the drug. The vaccine, called “Sputnik V” in homage to the world’s first satellite launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, has yet to complete its final trials and some scientists said they feared Moscow may be putting national prestige before safety. From one hotspot to another: Twin ER doctors on COVID-19 front lines in New York, Miami

At the height of the coronavirus pandemic in New York City in April, physician Michael D’Urso was scrambling to care for the seemingly ever-increasing number of patients being wheeled into the emergency room where he worked. In Miami, his identical twin brother Dennis, also an emergency room doctor, listened to Michael’s experiences on the front lines, providing support and encouragement, while bracing for the onslaught to hit his own state. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-twindoctors/parallel-lives-twin-brother-er-doctors-fight-covid-19-in-new-york-miami-idUSKBN22B1ZM Zydus Cadila launches India’s cheapest remdesivir version at $37 per vial

Zydus Cadila on Thursday launched the cheapest generic version of Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug remdesivir in India to treat COVID-19 following reports of shortages at hospitals in the world’s third-worst hit nation. Zydus has priced it at 2,800 rupees ($37.44) per 100mg vial. It will be sold under the brand name Remdac to government and private hospitals treating COVID-19 patients, the company said in a regulatory filing https://reut.rs/3gTivT4. New Zealand scrambles to contain coronavirus resurgence as it heads toward election

New Zealand was scrambling to trace the source of its first coronavirus outbreak in more than three months, reporting 13 new community infections on Thursday, after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had sought to eradicate the virus with a hard lockdown. The resurgence of COVID-19 comes just weeks before a scheduled general election, increasing pressure on Ardern to get the outbreak under control amid growing criticism. UK’s COVID-19 death toll lowered to 41,000 after methodology change

Britain’s official death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic was lowered by over 5,000 on Wednesday because the government adopted a new way of counting fatalities after concerns were raised that the old method overstated them. From now on, the authorities will publish on a daily basis the number of deaths that occurred within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test result, the Department of Health said. China’s Shenzhen says chicken imported from Brazil tests positive for coronavirus

A sample of frozen chicken wings imported into the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen from Brazil has tested positive for coronavirus, the city government said in a notice on Thursday. Local disease control centres tested a surface sample taken from the chicken wings as part of routine screenings carried out on meat and seafood imports since June, when a new outbreak in Beijing was linked to the city’s Xinfadi seafood market. Argentina, Mexico to produce AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

Argentina and Mexico will produce the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for most of Latin America, Argentine President Alberto Fernandez said on Wednesday after a meeting with company executives involved in the project. An agreement signed between British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and the biotechnology company mAbxience of the INSUD Group includes transfer of technology to initially produce 150 million doses of the vaccine to supply all of Latin America with the exception of Brazil, the Argentine government said. India’s coronavirus cases jump by 67,000, setting daily record

India reported another record daily rise in novel coronavirus infections on Thursday, while the death toll from COVID-19 surpassed 47,000. Infections grew by 66,999 on Thursday from a day earlier to reach a total of nearly 2.4 million to date, India’s health ministry said.